The Journal of Legends
by LoLGoau
Summary: Read chapter 1 for details. I do not own LoL, work for Riot, or know anyone who does. This is mainly centered around an OC of mine with a darker twist on the world. Rating may changed as the story goes on. Also, backstories will be explained in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: ProloguePrelude

_**Author's Note****:**_

_This is, basically, my own retelling of the complete LoL universe. Put simply, Malzahar has come up with an evil plan to rule the Void and gain ultimate power. However, it does not entirely replace the LoL lore, but adds something a little extra to it that effects all of it._

_If you like this, great. If you hate it, good for you. If you are torn between the two, try it yourself._

_This is intended to be my final LoL story before I begin working on other stories and series based on other games._

_So, I hope everyone enjoys at least reading this story, and be aware that some of the characters are not intended to be exactly like they are in the game. I mean, there are Void monsters freely walking the world._

_Time to give credit: I do not own League of Legends, work for them, or have any contact with them other than what little I do from playing their game and posting on their League of Legends forums. I do not know anyone who works for them either, so all credit for their game goes to Riot. This is simply my fanfic of the lore taken to a level I have never taken anything to before. Riotgames owns League, and I do not work for them._

_Okay, now onto the story:_

* * *

Tirelessly and in panic, Zilean, a chronomancer of the Institution of War, had been working for days without sleep to find the exact moment everything began… or more specifically when the nightmare began.

When he felt the mental pull of a summoner, he shook his head. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" He shouted out loud. He was too busy for the pointless fights of the League's matches, and for the summons of its summoners.

For the first time, his chrono-displasia disease, which made him able to manipulate time while cursing him to see all three of its forms at once, did not reveal to him the past or present of the horror he had seen, only its future.

Scars that would never heal upon the land itself, rifts in the skies from which winged demons flew out of, lakes of boiling water, rivers of fresh blood, ruins of the greatest cities and structures of humanity where once beauty sat, and the few remnants of humans and yordles alive reduced to slaves for monsters. It was as if the world had been turned upside down and twisted into the horrific future Malzahar had described…

Only now Zilean had seen the true nature of what the prophet's warnings meant.

After days of sleepless work, he had finally found the point of origin: Xerath's ascension to what he is now.

Quickly, the chronomancer began to prepare his magic runes to physically travel back in time and prevent the mage from becoming the Magus Ascendant.

Little did he know, however, that a dark mage had inflicted him with a combination of spells, carefully cast to make them seem like dreams and visions.

* * *

As the old mage prepared the spell of time travel, he was too tired and panicked to know that he was being watched.

Silently, Malzahar waited for the spell to finish, dark thoughts brewing within his twisted mind. Though those within the Void had betrayed him, they would soon come to serve him as he and his cult had.

Beside him, smiling a sly, dark smile, Lissandra waited, her Frostguard warriors guarding the tower to ensure no one entered. While Zilean was able to keep people from teleporting or magically entering his tower, he was unable to keep people from nearing it physically. Were it not for the Frostguard, people would have surely come to check on the chronomancer.

"Is he almost finished, my love?" Lissandra asked, leaning against her partner, pressing her cold skin against his clothed back.

The reason for their partnership was a rather dark one, but it was now proving to be a fruitful endeavor for the both of them. He was about to gain powers beyond imagination, and she was about to become his queen and master of her masters, the Watchers.

Malzahar smiled, his face no longer concealed by his cowl and revealing his white teeth. "Almost. All I need now is to make him leave the tower, and then he will be all yours until we meet again." He assured her.

In response, she leaned forward and kissed the back of his neck, her cold lips meeting his warm skin. "Until we meet again… when you are a god." She whispered seductively, and then let go of him. "The old mage will soon be a relic of the past, much like this world for you." She added as she moved away from him.

The mage turned his head and watched her as she left, smiling inwardly at the memory of how she had saved him and how she had given him purpose once more. All that was left was to return the favor.

When he turned back to watch the door of the tower, he saw it open, and out ran a very wary and distracted-looking Zilean, quite unlike the normally calm and collected mage who foresaw everything. With all of the nightmarish spells he had used on the old man, thoughts of dark tidings that would have almost anyone in such a state, all he had to do was make minor adjustments to ensure the old man followed his hidden instructions.

It would serve no purpose and ruin everything if he found out the source of his troubles was another mage and not a horrific future to come.

The prophet watched quietly as Zilean quickly but carefully set up the spell, drawing runes and symbols in the air and on the ground. As he did, the space around the area of the spell seemed to shimmer and images began to appear.

The images showed events of the recent present, such as the return of Jarvan the Fourth to Demacia and the more recent events of Kalamanda, as they had happened, with some details having been in the shadows.

Progressively, the images began to point further and further to the past, like the founding of both Demacia and Noxus.

Eventually, and at long last, the images shifted to the sand dunes of the Shurima Desert.

Malzahar watched as ruins, both scene and unseen, rose from the sands to reconstruct themselves. An entire city began to rise from the sand and rebuild itself. It was not long before people began to appear and walk the streets.

Still, the mage remained behind the corner of the tower, watching the images for a particular one.

After several minutes, he saw it: Lightning lashing out like whips, the land trembling in terror, and magic lacing all around its center.

Quickly, the images all narrowed until they were all on the same one… Xerath ascending in reverse back into his former human self.

And then, the images stopped as the Magus Ascendant in human just finished his ritual.

When it did, Zilean flinched. "Wait… this isn't right. I… I should go back further, before he even begins the ritual. Why-"

Malzahar ran forward.

Before the old mage could react, the younger mage gripped him by his shoulders and tossed him to the ground, and then stepped into the center of the spell of runes and magic. He then turned his head to the chronomancer, a dark smile on his face. "Thank you, Zilean, for your help, but now you are useless to me." He said…

And then he was gone… back into the past just before Xerath finished his ritual of ascension, with the runes and images fading as well.

Zilean blinked blankly at where once stood Malzahar, confused and unsure of what had just happened.

"It would appear that our plan worked as intended." Zilean heard, and then turned his head to see Lissandra, the Ice Witch, behind him. Behind her were a number of armed, brutal looking men in fur clothing and weapons drawn. She smiled down at him from. "Unfortunately for you, time has betrayed you." She added.

She raised her right hand, and her voice turned dark. "Kill him." She said.

Zilean began to get to his feet, but as he was on one knee one of the men lunged at him with his crescent axe.

The blow cut down from his right shoulder, severing his arm from his body.

He cried out in pain as he fell forward, just barely avoiding a second attack from overhead.

Quickly, and instinctively from all of the League matches, he raised his left hand in preparations to cast a spell.

Suddenly, ice shot up from the ground and engulfed his arm.

"We can't have you casting any of your time spells, not after all of this time and effort." Lissandra said. "Do not miss him this time." She added.

Zilean heard a grunt… and then felt the sting of a blade across his left shoulder and the right side of his waist, this blow cutting him in half from shoulder to waist.

Despite the unbelievable pain now understood… Zilean stuck out his tongue toward the ground.

It was unpracticed… difficult… but he had to do this… before it was… too late…

In the dirt of the dried up land… Zilean, the chronomancer, drew one last rune of magic…

And he linked his mind with one last summoner…

"Chrono… anchor…" He breathed… and then went silent… as the world began to change…

* * *

In the distant past, Malzahar grabbed the surprisingly young, perhaps in his late thirties or early forties, mage known as Xerath. His sudden appearance had gained him the chance to strike the mage, nearly knocking him out cold, and tossing him into the runes of time travel. "Thanks for doing the hard part, now I think I'll reap the rewards. Bye-bye." He taunted, and then watched as the mage disappeared.

He had learned from invading Zilean's mind that the only form of time travel available, and without destruction to everything, was to trade places with someone in the past. It was a way to intervene with the past and shape the future, but only if one was willing to take the place of another.

For Malzahar, as his body began to be torn apart by the chaos of magic he was now in the center of, this meant he could trade places in time with the human Xerath…

And ascend to a being of pure magic with a consciousness.

The pain was unbelievable, and only the mental trauma he had endured kept him from losing his mind. He knew what was at the end of this painful ordeal, and he would have the powers that came with it!

After what felt like hours of hell as his skin, muscles, and bones were slowly stripped from his body, the pain ceased.

"XERATH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" A shout from behind came.

Smiling a wicked, blue and white smile, Malzahar, now an ascendant like Xerath would have been, turned to the one who had spoken.

Without a word, he raised his arms toward the one who had spoken, a mage in a black robe, and unleashed a shock of magic. He had only intended for it to be a small amount, but the causal action sent two arcing bolts of lightning at the robed figure.

In an instant, the figure and the majority of the entrance to the room were reduced to ash and charred remains.

Malzahar lowered his arms slowly, surprised by his newfound powers… and then began to laugh, chuckling at first before laughing maniacally and madly.

"THIS! THIS IS POWER THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE ALL ALONG!" He laughed.

After about a minute of this, he stopped laughing and began to drift toward the exit, leaving the room. He paid no mind to the rip in space behind him, the one that should have been repaired by either Xerath or one of the other mages.

Now that Xerath had been replaced, he intended to make sure no one so much as touched the rip and closed the rift into the Void.

Soon, the creatures within would find it. Soon, they would pour into Runeterra. Soon, the mages of Shurima would be aware that something was wrong…

Soon, Malzahar would become the lord of the Void as he heralded its opening into the world and commanded its armies.

But first… there was the matter of those who could stop him…

Unlike Xerath, he had no intention of allowing other mages to live and prosper.

* * *

Zilean suddenly awoke to nearly complete darkness.

Quickly, he looked around, finding himself to be floating in the air and the sound of snoring. He looked toward the sources of the sound and was able to identify two of them. They were coming from two sleeping figures, both of whom he could not see.

One, however, he felt drawn to.

He drifted toward this one. "Summoner…? Can you hear me!? I need you to wake this moment!" He said, strangely without his former fatigue and tiredness.

The figure's snoring changed slightly, but then returned to normal.

Zilean shook his head. "SUMMONER!" He shouted.

The figure woke with a start, falling out of his 'bed' as he did.

Zilean let out a sigh of relief, or at least as best he could. "Tell me, what has happened? What has become of the world?" He asked quickly.

The figure looked around, his shadowy outline barely noticeable in the dark. He shook his head, and then began to get back into his bed.

"Go back to sleep Goau…" A high pitched voice said with an annoyed tone. "It's been a long day and we both know what tomorrow will bring." The voice added.

Zilean turned his head to the voice. "Veigar? Is that you?" He asked.

"Yes that's Veigar… Wait, who said that?" The one called Goau asked.

The high pitched voiced yordle grumbled. "I did. Go to sleep." He said.

The figure shook his head. "No, there's someone else in here." He said.

Veigar's response was only another grumble, and then what sounded like him rolling over onto his side, facing away from Goau.

Goau scratched his head, and then got back into his head. "Must be my imagination." He muttered as he got back into his bed.

Zilean shook his head as he watched the shadowed figure in the dark. He guessed that now, in the middle of what appeared to be night, was a bad time to ask what had happened… assuming his spell had worked as intended.

Chrono anchor was a spell that could anchor him to one time plane and or person. Just before he died, he had anchored himself to the time before it changed, but it was Summoner Goau who had been trying to contact him for a League match.

Now, in the middle of the night it seemed, he was only beginning to understand what had happened to him.

He was displaced in time, possibly the only one who knew how events should have taken place, and only able to talk to Summoner Goau, as Veigar's response had informed him. This meant that he had died before the spell finished, and anchored his consciousness to the summoner.

There was nothing he could do at this time, or at least nothing that could be helped right now.

He would have to wait until morning, and then hopefully he'd know what damage had been caused…

He hoped the summoner remembered how things should have been and not how they are.

* * *

_**Author's Note:  
**_

_Poor Zilean, he's dead. Well, it's not like he didn't see it coming! HAHAHA!  
_

_But in all seriousness, the reason for the time travel spell being as it is, replacing a person and all, this is purely because an empty space, a person, cannot occur in the world; at least that's how I see it._

_While there will only be one Malzahar, only one Xerath, and only one Zilean, there will never be a time when they meet one another. Say ascendant Malzahar found prophet Malzahar... Wait! He can't, because there is no ruins of a Void worshiping city! Prophet Malzahar is never born because of ascendant Malzahar's actions. Living Zilean never meets dead Zilean because of the chrono anchor, and Xerath was only thrown into the distant future rather than being an immortal being of magic._

_Is this complicated? YES! It is very complicated! Which is way it makes sense._


	2. Chapter 2: A Deadman's Appearance

_**Author's Note:**_

_May be some errors in this one. Done editing, and here's the second chapter and the proper introduction to my OC and summoner name in game, Goau. And yes, I am actually like this in real life.  
_

* * *

As the first rays of the new day's dawn shown through the tattered drapes of the window far overhead, Goau turned over onto his side, away from the light.

As he did this, he thought he heard something coming from another room.

"Breakfast is ready! Is the master coming?"

"He's still asleep. What about Goau?"

"The same, but he was talking to himself in the middle of the night. I think he's been using those spells of his again."

"What an idiot. If the master does not make him sorry, I will."

"Anyway, have some eggs and bacon. Here you go."

"… You'll never quit, will you?"

Goau's eyes slowly opened, and he sighed. "It sounds like Veigar's up to his old tricks…" He muttered to himself as he sat up.

Stretching his arms and yawning, he balled his fists and felt the familiar pops of his muscles. After that, he brought his right hand to his mouth to cover another yawn as he pushed himself out of his bed with his left hand.

Tiredly, he blinked the sleep out of his eyes before reaching and rubbing them with his hands as he stood. "I hate winter… Nothing but cramps, colds, and snow." He muttered to himself.

With unsteady steps, he began to make his way toward the small bathroom he shared with his roommate and one of his fellow students, Veigar, a yordle covered entirely in short, black fur.

Once inside the bathroom, he lit the lamp, turning up its wick, and began to splash his face with cold water.

The bathroom was simply a place with a small fireplace, buckets and other containers of water, a stack of logs, and an assortment of towels and medical supplies. Actual bathing and answering to nature's call were done outside, away from the tower he and others called home. This room was simply for refreshing one's self, where emergency medical supplies were kept, and where water was heated for use. While it was not the only room, it was where the logs were stored, so it was under stocked in all other aspects. Aside from that, it was a plain room made of stone.

The bedroom was not much different from the bathroom. It was made of stone, held two chests of clothing for each person who stayed in the room, a small bed two feet wide and five feet long for Goau and a hammock made of a tanned leather for Veigar, two small piles of dirty laundry, and a large shelf that took up an entire wall full of magical items and tools. Aside from those, there were a collection of books and scrolls scattered around the room, some small hand carved figures and handmade sewing creations, and small bundle of animal hide cloaks, still bundled and tired up.

Winter had just begun, and those cloaks were soon going to be needed.

As he splashed his face, Goau looked at himself in the mirror of enchanted glass, and then began to examine his face. After a few seconds, he reached for his razor, a sharpened piece of metal with a handmade leather handle, and began to carefully, and painfully, remove the beard and mustache hair from his face.

As he did, he thought he saw something in the mirror…

Shrugging it off as just his mind playing tricks on him in the morning, he went back to shaving.

After about five minutes, he finished. With a snap of his fingers, he ignited the strands of hair with a small, magical flame, turning them to ash in a second.

"That was Ignite, was it not?"

Goau froze, his eyes widening, and he just stood there. Who… who was that?

"Was that supposed to be a secret?" The voice asked.

Slowly, he turned around… and was met with the sight of an old man. He was wearing a strange robe of black and gray with a large, golden belt buckle, had a large gray and white beard, and a head of gray and white hair.

The strangest thing about him was that it looked like he was floating, levitating even, a few inches off the ground.

"Wha- what are you?" Goau asked as he brought his razor up in front of him and holding it before the stranger. "How did you get in here?" He asked.

The old man tilted his head to the side. "This is my home. Or at least it is supposed to be." He answered.

"Supposed to be?" Goau asked, still holding the razor up in a defensive manner.

The old man nodded. "It's a long story, but I can assure you that you are not crazy, that I am not a vision or an illusion, and I am indeed a real person." He answered.

Goau only stared at him for a few seconds. "If I cut you, or use magic, will you die?" He asked.

"That is highly doubtful. I am, as you may say, a ghost, though I am not the kind to haunt you. Instead, I need your help." He said.

Goau's eyes narrowed. "You're a ghost?" The old man nodded. He then put the razor away, back on the counter, and rolled his eyes. "I don't know what kind of ghost, illusion, or trick you are, but I have chores to do and things that need to be done. If you do not mind, can you come back during the summer?" He asked before reaching for a towel and turning back to the mirror.

From the mirror's reflection, he did not see the old man's reflection, but still heard his voice. "Your roommate here is Veigar, and the two of you, along with Syndra, are students under Xerath." He stated.

Goau shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I'm sure you'd know that." He said.

"I also know that Veigar seems to have a crush on the sorceress, but she only has eyes for Xerath." He added.

Again, Goau shrugged as he cleaned his face and shaved off a few pieces of facial hair he missed. "Even a blind monk could see that." He replied.

"However, I would like to know what happened to the clocks." The old man inquired.

"There are no clocks. We just found this tower and made it our home." Goau answered, finally finished with his shaving and then stepped out of the bathroom. "Now, I need to go and get to work. It was nice meeting you ghost, but go away now." He said.

"Ask Xerath about an ascension ritual." He said.

Goau stopped, and then turned to the old man ghost, a curious and confused expression on his face. "An ascension ritual?" He asked.

The old man smiled. "Just ask him about it." He said.

Goau turned around again and began to step out of the bedroom and into the hallway. Even if he could hear Veigar and Syndra, it was only because the wall separated his bed from the dining room. He always knew when it was time for breakfast, but that also meant any of the other three could wake him for a prank.

The hallways were only plain gray and white stone, gray due to age and white due to paint. He had had the idea to paint the halls so that the place did not look like complete crap, but he did not realize that there was not nearly enough paint… Now, it looked like a fourth of the hallways were white, and the rest of them were gray.

Doors and windows were the only other things in the halls, most of the doors leading into rooms for storage or practicing magic and the windows boarded or closed. There was a reason for the windows being as they were, and those were entirely to avoid being found. Only the high tower windows could be opened, and that was only because none of them could close them.

Before going to the dining hall, he took a little detour to look around outside. Thankfully, he and Veigar used the bottom floor while Syndra and Xerath used the second and third floors, respectively.

About ten minutes later, he finally made it to the kitchen. "Good morning Veigar. Good morning Syndra." He said, waving to each in turn as he spoke.

Veigar looked up at him, his right eye shut a little. "Good morning Goau. Your breakfast got cold." He said. The yordle wore a purple colored robe tailor-made by hand, evident by the work done on it, with two metal backed gloves on either side of the belt. On the back of his chair was a purple, pointed hat with a rim of black and a staff of two feet long and one inch wide. Here and there were dark splotches, dried blood from battles and hunts.

Syndra only glanced up at him before looking back to her book, holding it in her left hand as she ate with her right. "Good morning." She said plainly. The woman, in her early or mid-twenties, wore a black corset, skirt, thigh high socks, nearly shoulder length and fingerless gloves, and a purple band in her hair.

The fact that she showed off so much skin and so much of her chest left him to wander why she was always angry whenever he or Veigar tried to woo her into being more than fellow students. On more than one occasion, she had done much worse than punched one of them in the eye for flirting with her.

Goau sat down at the table, a simple one made of wood, and spooned a portion of eggs and bacon onto his polished stone plate. Other than the other two, the plates, the table, and some drinks of either glasses or jars, the room was empty. At least the kitchen and its supplies were not far away.

After a few bites, he looked to Veigar. "Is the master up yet? And what happened to your eye?" He asked.

Veigar shook his head. "He's still asleep." He said, and then motioned with his eyes toward Syndra. "I'll be alright, don't worry. Speaking of which, how much longer until that healing spell of yours is ready?" He asked.

Goau stopped eating for a moment and closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened his eyes and spooned up more eggs and put the spoonful into his mouth. "I need four more days." He said as he chewed. After he swallowed, he added. "You should have woke me earlier and I would have given you a barrier." He said jokingly.

Veigar smiled at his colleague and roommate.

Syndra raised her eyes from her book and glared. "That would be a terrible waste of a good spell." She remarked coldly.

Goau turned to her, the smile still on his face. "I'm only joking; I know to save the spells until they are needed." He said.

She glared at the two of them for a moment, and then looked back to her book. "I meant using it on him." She said.

Before Goau could rise, Veigar lunged and held him down, but the yordle was too small to restrain the human. Instead, the yordle spoke up before his friend could. "It was just a slap Goau! No need to start anything!" He said.

Goau gritted his teeth and glared at Syndra as he spoke. "I was only joking! There is such a thing as humor, but I guess you wouldn't know about such a thing." He said angrily.

Syndra only licked her thumb and turned the page of her book. "I was not." She replied. "And neither should you when it concerns such important and potent magic." She added.

Goau took a deep, heated breath, and then let it out slowly. "Fine." He muttered, and then went back to eating, only this time quietly.

Veigar let out a relieved sigh before walking off a short distance toward a small oven-looking object in the next room over, the kitchen. He put on his gloves and carefully began to remove the contents; a bowl of some kind of oatmeal and diced fruits.

Carefully, he carried it to the table and sat it on the table. "One of us needs to wake up the master." He said.

Syndra immediately closed her book. "I will go." She said as she rose from her chair.

Goau rose as well. "Actually, I need to ask him something, so I'll go." He said.

Before he could move away from his chair, he felt a force push him back down onto his chair. When he looked up, he saw Syndra, her right arm held out toward him with her palm opened. "You need to ask him something?" She questioned.

Veigar tilted his head and looked at Goau as well. "You do?" He asked.

Once more, Goau let out a breath and looked up at the two, mostly Syndra. "Yes. Believe it or not, I've been visited by a ghost and it told me to ask our master about an ascension ritual." He said, and then tried to rise again.

"Ascension ritual?" Syndra asked, this time letting him.

He nodded. "I asked the same thing and the ghost didn't answer." He replied.

She planted the palm of her hand onto her forehead and tilted her head back. "Oh my god, you've been using clairvoyance in your sleep, haven't you?" She asked.

He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he shook his head. "No, that one is still available, and I had the same thought." He answered.

Veigar's eyes narrowed. "Use cleanse." He said.

Goau shrugged. "I can't for another hour. I was just going to humor this ghost until I could." He said.

Syndra began walking toward the entrance of the room, but stopped before the door. "You've obviously been targeted with some kind of observation magic Goau. Until you can cleanse this away, you're not leaving this room." She said with a stern voice. By her stance, it was clear she did not intend for anyone to leave.

"Listen you two, if it was observation magic, the ghost would be here with me now. As it stands, it is not." Goau said.

Veigar spoke up after a second. "Maybe it's just an initiate trying to impress his master or teacher?" He suggested.

"Veigar. It already knew all of our names and I think it's the same one from last night." He said.

Syndra crossed her arms over her chest. "Veigar mentioned that to me earlier… but it could be the same person, only the spell was refreshed." She said.

Goau shrugged. "You were there too Veigar. Why didn't this initiate just cast the spell on you?" He asked.

Before the yordle could answer, Syndra spoke up. "While I do not doubt you on that, Goau, I have to wonder if you are protecting this ghost now." She said.

Goau opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he saw the old man ghost again, only he was moving through the walls. His eyes widened and he pointed. "There! There it is!" He said, pointing.

The old man stopped and looked around at the three, his gaze stopping on Veigar. "Veigar? What happened to your clothes?" He asked.

The yordle and human woman turned to their colleague. "Where?" Syndra asked.

He pointed. "Right there!" He said, thrusting his hand out. "In front of Veigar!" He added.

The yordle flinched and looked in front of him, but then back to the human man. "I… I don't see it." He said, and then looked to Syndra. "These spells can be seen by more than one person, can't they?" He asked.

The human woman hummed slightly to herself, thinking to herself. She then looked at Goau, her eyes narrowed. After several seconds, she spoke. "Use clairvoyance. I will take full responsibility." She said.

Goau met the woman's eyes before sighing.

He turned to the ghost of the old man and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were a deep, bright blue color. Around him and the space where the ghost floated a blue, transparent mist appeared, glowing brightly as it slowly drifted in one elevation.

After ten seconds exactly, Goau blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. At the same time, the mist vanished.

He looked from Veigar to Syndra, both with surprised expressions on their faces. "Well?" He began. "Did either of you see him?" He asked.

After a few seconds, Syndra stepped out of the way of the door. "Go see Master Xerath. Veigar, we're going with him." She said.

Immediately, Veigar got out of his chair, being careful to keep a firm hold of the bowl, and picked up a spoon. "Let's go." He said.

Goau rolled his eyes at the yordle but still smiled. "Do you really think he'll want to eat?" He asked.

Veigar looked up at the taller, six foot three human. "Should I make something for your invisible, undetectable friend too?" He asked.

"I just find it strange that you two are acting like this… well, actually, I know why you're acting like this, but why is Syndra-" Goau began.

"Because he's only spoken of an ascension ritual in his sleep." Syndra interrupted.

Goau paused. "What?" He asked.

She did not answer, but turned and started into the hall, toward where their master slept. Veigar quickly followed after her with the bowl of steaming oatmeal in hand.

Goau, reluctantly, began moving as well, but he only walked. "My name's Goau, by the way. Do ghosts have names?" He asked.

The old man smiled. "I was known as Zilean, a chronomancer and member of the League of Legends and Institution of War." He said.

"Institution of War, you say? I'm not surprised to see that you're a ghost then." He said.

Zilean frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"The Void God destroyed the Institution and everyone within it years ago. We don't know why, but it was just after I left." He said, and then looked away. "It's… a sour topic for me." He said.

The old man followed him. "What of the others? The summoners, Demacia, Noxus, Piltover, Zaun, Bandle City, and the rest? Were they destroyed as well?" He asked.

Goau shook his head. "No." He said, and then stopped walking. "Just the Institution… and…" He made his right hand into a fist, a golden, yellow light shining from it.

After a minute or so, he loosened his fist and relaxed his hand before letting it fall to his side and began walking again. "I don't want to talk about it…" He said, and then looked forward with a glare. "Until I've killed that god." He added.

* * *

When he arrived at the door, it was already opened.

Goau stepped inside, Zilean floating behind him, and saw Syndra and Veigar standing next to an aging man. Like Goau, the man wore a tan, brown robe, signifying that he had just woken, only Goau had changed into a clean robe during his detour earlier.

When Goau stepped closer, the other man stopped eating from the bowl and looked up at him. From this distance, Goau could see the augmented fingers of the man's right index, middle, and little fingers and left thumb. There were other augmented body parts, but those were covered by the robe.

The man was the perfect example of a mage willing to do anything in the pursuit of arcane mastery… even losing body parts to do so. Goau's pursuit was not arcane mastery, but he was willing to do anything and lose everything for what he wanted.

"You've been asked by a ghost to ask me a question?" The man asked.

Goau nodded. "Yes, Master Xerath." He said.

Zilean only drifted there and listened.

Xerath motioned for him to go on.

"He wanted me to ask you about an ascension ritual." Goau said.

The bowl fell out of Xerath's hands, shattering on the floor, as his eyes widened.

"Ask him about Shurima." Zilean said, his face blank of expression.

Goau turned to the ghost. "Shurima? That place is a land of the dead. No one lives there, except the Void monsters." He said.

"Shurima…" Xerath muttered. All four faces turned to Xerath. "Goau… how do you know these?" He asked.

Goau slowly pointed with his left hand past his right shoulder, where Zilean floated. "This ghost that only I can apparently see told me." He said. "He says he is a member of the Institution of War, or at least was." He added.

Xerath blinked at him. "Have a seat Goau." He said, and then looked from Syndra to Veigar, both appearing confused, before he looked down. "This ritual of ascension… was one that I cast long ago in Shurima… a millennia ago…" His hands then balled into fists. "But then someone appeared before me, out of thin air, and threw me into this world." He said.

Xerath then looked up, tears in his eyes and glaring. "That someone… is now the self-titled Void God!" He said.

There was silence… and then Goau spoke. "You knew? All this time, you knew?" He asked.

Xerath nodded his head. "I don't know how, but I know, from my studies, that this 'god' is only an ascendant mage and nothing else." He said.

Goau took a deep breath… and then let it out slowly. "Can you do it again? Make this ritual?" He asked, his tone that of restrained anger.

Xerath put his head in his hands. "Goau… all of you… The three of you have known me for years, half a decade at that. During that time, I made it clear that all three of you would be used to help me attain more power than any of you could image." He looked up, his eyes soft and a sorrowful expression on his features. "I cannot do it… and none of you can muster the magical power necessary to conjure such a thing, not even if we all worked together, which would be difficult in and of itself." He said.

Syndra put her hand on his shoulder. "Master Xerath, we're not the unrefined mages we once were, thanks to you. If you begin the spell-" She began, but stopped when he began shaking his head.

"None of you have seen the arcane chaos, nothing similar to such a thing, in your lives. Besides all of the complexities… we have no way to gain the required materials for such a thing." Xerath explained.

Goau only stared. "Then there is nothing we can do?" He asked, taking a step forward. "We're just to keep going on with our lives like this!? Why didn't you say you knew who this Void God was before!? You knew, all this time, why I was training with you! Why I was here! And now you're saying all this time I've been wasting MY TIME here!" He demanded.

Syndra rose and stood between Xerath and Goau, Veigar soon rising and standing between her and him.

Goau only glared at them… and then vanished in a yellow flash of light.

When he reappeared, to Xerath's right, he grabbed the man by his throat with his right hand, red energies drifting off his body like a mist, and slammed the man against the wall four feet off the ground.

Xerath grunted from the impact, and then began to choke from lack of air as he gripped his student's arm, who was now at least three feet taller.

"I trusted you with my spells! And all you've done is used me!" He shouted.

"LET HIM GO!" Syndra shouted, conjuring a dark sphere of magic. When she finished, she threw the sphere at Goau.

Before it hit him, a field of yellowish magic in the pattern of a turtle's shell, formed around Goau and Xerath. The dark sphere crashed against the shield, but did not break it.

"Goau!" Veigar shouted. "Let him go. I don't want to do this." He said, the space between his hands beginning to warp and twist as an eerie sound was emitted from it. Whatever spell he was conjuring, it was affecting the space around him, and not just magically.

Goau did not stop. "My friends! My family! All of them were killed by that bastard! And this one knew about their killer!" He shouted.

"He knew… but I'm the one who paved the way for Malzahar." Zilean said.

Goau flinched, and then turned his head to the old man. "Who the hell is Malzahar!?" He demanded.

Zilean answered plainly. "The Void God, I assume." He said.

After several tense seconds, Goau finally let go of Xerath, who dropped to the ground and began coughing violently. Goau then turned to Zilean. "What?" He asked.

The old man nodded. "I was tricked into doing it, but the blame is entirely mine. Malzahar used me to create a way to travel back in time and take Xerath's place, where he became an ascendant mage. After that, I was killed. With the last of my energy, I anchored my consciousness to that plane of time… and to the last one who had mental contact with me: You, Summoner Goau." He said.

Goau, still enlarged by his spell, took two strides forward, Syndra and Veigar, spell still in hand, got out of his way; she going to comfort Xerath. He stopped in front of the old man and reached for him…

But his hand only passed through.

He tried again, but it only did the same.

Zilean shook his head. "I'm already dead. All I can hope to do is fix things. Unfortunately, you're the only one who can see and hear me." He said.

Finally, Goau began to shrink back to his normal size, but then turned a glare on Zilean. "Why should I help you?" He asked.

"That's just it; you shouldn't, but this is the only why I can fix what I've done. If you will not help me by being my voice, then I will only be with you until you die." He said.

Goau looked away from the old man, Zilean, who had just admitted to being the cause of everything that had gone wrong in his life. "Say I did want to help you, then what?" He asked.

Zilean waited until his former summoner looked back at him. "If we can get to Shurima, where Malzahar and Xerath first traded places, I can direct you to set up a new spell, just like the previous one, and stop Malzahar from doing such a thing." He said.

"And you?" Goau asked.

Zilean's face remained blank as he spoke. "Lissandra will have me killed… either way, I will die, but the difference is that Malzahar will not become an ascendant. For years, I've accepted my death, but at least I can prevent this future." He explained.

"And who is Lissandra?" Goau asked.

"Goau?" Veigar said, prompting his friend to turn to him. He saw Veigar standing in front of Syndra as she blocked most of Xerath from view, applying what little healing magic she could to him. "Lissandra is the queen of the Freljord, the mistress of the Ice Watcher, and the bride to the Void God. My previous mistress had a few meetings with her, but that's all I know." He said.

When he turned back to Zilean, he looked at him with an angry expression. "Are you sure about this? That you can do this and that either way you'll die?" He asked. Soberly, the old man nodded. "And there's no way for the others to see you?"

Zilean shook his head. "No. I cannot speak to anyone else. I am sorry." He answered.

Goau took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. After a few seconds, he turned to the other three, and watched as Xerath stepped toward him. The older, five by eleven foot but still more powerful mage stopped right in front of him. "Goau. I want to know everything this ghost has said to you. If you do this, I will overlook your actions and use of spells." He said.

Goau looked back at Zilean, and then looked back to his master. "I want to know everything about this ascension spell, and everything else you know about what happened with this stranger who took this ascendant form from you." He said.

Slowly, Xerath nodded. "I will, but all that happened was this man appeared, overpowered me, and then threw me into a spell circle that brought me to this world, into a world where everything I know and ever knew were gone from the world." He said, but then shook his head. "If you wish for vengeance, seek it yourself, but I am only your teacher because I seek powerful spells and you have such spells." He then leaned closer to the younger man. "Do you understand?" He asked.

After a time, Goau finally nodded. "Fine." He said, and then glanced over to Zilean. "What about this guy following me?" He asked.

Xerath shook his head. "I don't care of ghosts or whatever this one is. Cleanse it from you or let it be, I don't care." He said, and then looked to the other two. "All of you leave! Winter is nearly upon us and we all have work to do. Vengeance does not keep you warm or feed you, and… I need time to think." He said.

Goau turned and started out of the door, followed by Veigar who cancelled his spell. The yordle stopped at the door to wait for Syndra, who spoke briefly with their master before leaving as well. When she left the room, she glared at the back of Goau's head.

* * *

After walking for a few yards, Goau stopped and turned around to face his other two colleagues and fellow students. Unsurprisingly, both of them seemed on guard, except for Syndra who looked like she wanted to skin him alive. "I am sorry, okay, so stop staring at me like I've just commented heresy or some other atrocity. I got angry, lost my temper, and lashed out against who I thought was the source of my anger." He said.

Syndra and Veigar stopped as well and listened to him, and it was Syndra, still mad at him and her tone reflecting it, who spoke first. "If you ever hurt him again, Goau, I swear I will kill you myself!" She hissed.

Goau swallowed and nodded. "I understand, but next time I will probably just leave before losing my temper." He assured her to little avail.

When he turned to Veigar, the yordle shrugged. "I'm here to learn, that- that's all." He said, glancing to Syndra for a moment.

Goau only turned around. "Whatever. I'm going to gather fire wood. How are we on meat? Should I go hunting for something?" He asked as he began walking again.

He heard Veigar's footsteps and voice from behind. "The meatier is alright for now, but we could use some more deer or rabbit, both for furs and meat." He said. "I'll go with you." He added.

Goau let out a sigh. "Well, they do say that three's company." He said as he walked.

"Speaking of which," Veigar began, his voice lower than before. "Is there really only someone you can see following you? You've not gone mad… have you?" He asked when they were far enough away from Syndra to not be heard.

"Veigar, I used clairvoyance to try and show you and Syndra what I saw. If I was going crazy again, I either would have created some kind of imaginary hallucination or it just would not have worked." Goau said, and turned to his little friend. "You both saw it, my eyes change and the mist of magic. Zilean just did not show up for the two of you, which leads me to think there's some truth to what he's said… also, Xerath never told us about this ritual, and we both know Syndra would never have told us about it." He said.

The black mage followed the human out of the hallway and toward the door leading out of the tower. Near the door was a coat rack, three small coats near the bottom for easy access for Veigar, they both began to dress in winter appropriate coats. The coats were old, with tears and holes in them, but they could still be used at least until next year. For now, they could not make any new ones or repair old ones until their annually scheduled guests arrived.

"If I may, what has happened to the world?" Zilean, who had continued to drift and follow Goau, asked.

"By the way, Veigar, it seems this guy, Zilean he calls himself, seems to think there is a way to change the world back to how it was, or should be. So he's going to be talking to me. Sorry that you have to see me talking to him even if it looks like there's no one there, but I just wanted to give you the heads up." Goau warned as he slipped on a pair of work gloves.

The yordle laughed a little. "Remember the little girl I told you about, Haruhi her name was. I've seen her talk to things I couldn't see either, so this'll be just like those times… only you'll not try to hug or choke me while calling me Fuzzy… will you?" He asked nervously, and with a hint of fear in his voice.

Goau shook his head. "Of course not." He said, and then turned his head to Zilean. "Anyway, from what we know about the world, Demacia, Noxus, and all those places exist, yes, but the Voidborn rule most of the world." He said. He took a minute to replace his shoes with steel-toed boots.

Veigar did not change his shoes, preferring the durable leather shoes he wore. "Hey Goau, can this ghost hear me, and I just can't hear him?" He asked.

Goau looked from Zilean to Veigar before turning back to the old man. "Can you?" He asked.

Zilean nodded. "Yes, I can hear others beside you, but I cannot stray far from you or speak with others. The true nature of my spell is unknown even to me as I've only ever used it once." He explained.

The human mage looked back to the yordle. "He says he can hear everyone and everything around me, and look where I cannot." He said.

Veigar thought for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes. "Tell him to stay out of Syndra's room." He said threateningly, despite his high-pitched tone.

"I don't even peek on her, and this guy doesn't seem like the perverted old man type to me." Goau remarked as he finished tying his footwear. "Are you ready to go?" He asked. Veigar nodded. "Alright, let's get going. We need firewood, traps, snares, and stuff for arrows. Unless you want to throw spells at animals." He said with a smile.

The yordle shook his head. "We tried that last year, and it left the meat with a charred texture and burnt taste. Not to mention the scolding we got from Master Xerath and the angry glares from Syndra." He replied.

Goau chuckled at the memory. "He's the one who alway said to try new things." He chuckled.

Veigar laughed his agreement. "Yeah, but he made it clear that did not count where dinner was concerned." He added.

Goau nodded before pushing himself up from the floor and starting out the door of the tower. "Well, Zilean, could you make yourself useful and watch for anything that moves? Even if it's a rabbit, you could end up saving our lives." He said.

The old man tilted his head questioningly. "What do you mean? There should be nothing living here." He said.

"Oh something's been living here, a lot of something at that. Just keep your eyes open and let me know if you see anything. Voidreavers are shapeshifters, and even the small ones can kill." He explained.

"Voidreavers? You mean like Kha'Zix?" Zilean asked.

"I don't know who you're talking about, but just know that a world ruled by the Voidborn and those from the Void, despite human and yordle cities, is a dangerous place. With my teleport spell active, we have to find something and hopefully not run into trouble." He replied.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**

_Again, characters are not exactly like they are in game and lore. These people are basically completely new, but I do like a lot of their clothing designs and the way they are. So, I thought it would be great to use them, but they won't be exact as all to most of them have to be handmade.  
_

_Also, I can totally see myself being friends with Veigar in real life. The little guy's a badass!_

_Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the story, those who like it anyway, and I will answer all PMs or questioning reviews._


	3. Chapter 3: Not a Summoner, But a Scribe

_**Author's Note:**_

_Hmm. I think I go into too many rants in this one... but then again, I do tend to talk too much and overcomplicate things in real life._

_Anyway, I hope everyone who is reading these chapters is enjoying the story. And here's chapter three, as well as the namesake of this story. Enjoy:_

_I forgot to add this; whenever I use measurements, they are always in this order: Length x Width x thickness._

* * *

Opening the door, Goau stepped outside of the tower and into the dangerous and mostly unforgiving world. He waited until Veigar stepped out as well, and Zilean drifted out shortly after, before he closed the door. It was actually not so much of a door as it was a board hinged to a doorframe and with fairly bad craftsmanship at that as it was not fully aligned with the frame.

One day… someone may come along and fix the door. Goau was too lazy to do so and did not possess the skill to do so, Veigar was too small and had had the idea of what it was now, Syndra only cared that it worked as a door, and Xerath did not leave the tower except for certain and specific circumstances so he did not care. They were a group of mages after all. As long as they had a place to sleep and protect them from the weather, a cave would do for a home.

Outside, Zilean let out an awed gasp. The barren land that he had lived in for so long was completely changed.

The tower was surrounded by a dense forest to the left that rapidly turned into a lightly forested meadow. While nature could never create such a sudden thing without some kind of natural divide, there were clear signs of magical and human influence.

The deep, dense forest of fall-colored trees ranging from small bushes to brightly colored trees changed in only a few meters into a small number of mature trees, fruit trees by the look of them and the sights of some small animals underneath them, and a mostly grassy, leveled area. Along the grass, there was a path that appeared to have been flattened and leading toward the tower.

However, the immediate area around the tower by about thirty yards or so was mostly healthy dirt. In a small area to the right of the tower, just ten or fifteen feet away, a small, fenced garden was set up under a long dead tree. The garden, however, did not appear to have been used in ages. Aside from the garden, nothing else seemed new, except of course for the forest and meadow nearby.

The old man drifted toward the side of the tower, and found the area behind the tower the same as the front, minus the meadow and with more forest.

Somehow, there was now a giant forest surrounding the tower that should have been on a dried lake bed.

"Summoner, where did this forest come from?" Zilean asked, his mouth wide open as he spoke.

Goau, who had been walking next to Veigar away from the tower and toward the forest, turned his head back to the ghost. "It's always been here, but we do not think this forest is natural." He said. "Also, call me Goau. I was never a summoner." He added.

Zilean blinked at the young mage. "But you used those spells… Flash, Ignite, Clairvoyance, Barrier, and Surge earlier. Those are only available to the summoners of the Institution." He said.

Goau shook his head, and then turned so he could see where he was going. "I've never used ignite, and anyone can learn those spells. It just takes a special type of mage to produce them as you've seen spells." He said, holding up his left hand, index finger extended, to make his point. "In the case of flash, I only need to get from point A to point B, assuming they are short distances, in, well, a flash. I literally and magically decompose myself from one point to another, and then recompose myself; if something is in the way, I am either moved in front of it or behind it." He said, and then glanced over his shoulder at Zilean. "Earlier, I flashed forward, toward Xerath, but I miscalculated the distance and wound up where Syndra was standing. Luckily for me, I was more behind her than in front of her, so I moved forward about five or eight inches, I don't know I was too angry at the time to care, but it was still not as close as I wanted to be to Xerath except for those extra inches." He explained. "By the way, we are going into hostile woods, so can you keep watch. I did have to use clairvoyance to fail to show you to the others, so I don't have that to make sure there are no animals or monsters waiting to chew mine or Veigar's faces off." He added with clear annoyance in his tone.

Veigar stopped before the thick vegetation. He pulled the hood of his coat over his head, his hat having been left in the house, and slipped on his metal backed gloves. "Hey Goau, are you sure about this ghost? You've not gone crazy… have you?" He asked, tilting his head.

Goau stopped as well and fixed his robe, making sure the lower portion was straight, and his coat fit comfortably, before adjusting his hood around his neck, not covering his ears or putting it on over his head like Veigar. "Well, there are two things that make me think this ghost is telling the truth. The first is that he and Xerath both knew about some past event in Shurima involving time travel and a magic ritual, both of them knowing about it somehow; and the second is that I did not know who Lissandra was before tonight, but you did. That's three people, two of whom do not know the third, who are connected by information I did not know." He explained.

Veigar stared up at his human friend before looking back toward the forest in thought. After a few seconds, he looked back to his friend. "Can you explain that again?" He asked.

Goau nodded. "Yeah. Give me a minute to think this over." He said, and then looked up and pointed at seemingly nothing above him. When he finished, he looked down to Veigar. "Zilean said Malzahar, the Void God, tricked him into going back in time to stop Xerath from completing his ritual. Malzahar had to switch placing in time with Xerath. Zilean knows someone by the name of Lissandra, as do you, who is... you said the leader of the Frostguards?" He asked.

Veigar nodded, so Goau looked to Zilean for further explanation. "I knew of two Lissandras, an Ice Witch and a leader of the Frostguards, both from the Freljord. I saw the Ice Witch with members of the Frostguard before I was killed, which led me to believe the two are one in the same." He explained.

Goau then looked back down at Veigar. "Both Lissandras are apparently from the Freljord, and I assume able to use magic?" He asked.

"Haruhi is not the kind of person to hate someone, and whenever Lissandra came to speak with my previous teacher, she always glared at the woman. I asked her why once… as she stopped bothering me during one of my lessons, and she said this. 'She is a slaver of water.'" He replied.

"And that means?" Goau asked.

Veigar looked away. "This Lissandra is able to use magic that forces water elements, elementals, or spirits to do her bidding." He answered meekly.

Zilean nodded. "The Ice Witch is a corruptor of ice, turning it into black ice." He confirmed.

Goau let out a sigh and shook his head. "Okay… so both Lissandras are evil and use evil water magic. Zilean here says he was killed by Lissandra after Malzahar went back in time to swap places with Xerath. I assume these Lissandras are the same people because it seems like too much of a coincidence for her to come in right after Malzahar tricked Zilean. The fact that the two are married now is only more of a coincidence that names are matching up… though I don't think time travel works this way." He said.

Zilean shrugged. "I was killed after he went back in time, and now I'm here, as a ghost, anchored to you. I should still be alive, but I'm not." He said.

Veigar shrugged as well, not knowing Zilean had done the same. "Don't look at me. I'm not the one who's seeing ghosts." He said.

Goau rolled his eyes and sighed, and then started into the forest. "I'm not crazy Veigar, and I don't believe this Zilean ghost either. All I care about now is getting the day's work over with so I can do something else." He said in defense of himself, cautiously and carefully stepping over the roots.

When he was past the border, he turned around and reached for Veigar. The yordle reached forward, locking his arms with the human's, and letting himself be picked up. When he was, Goau positioned him onto his shoulders, letting him sit on his shoulders and hold onto his head.

Zilean merely drifted forward. "Why are you two traveling like that?" He asked.

Goau began to carefully walk as Veigar began to turn his head left and right, surveying their surroundings, watching for something. "Number one: I walk, he watches. If he sees something, prey or predator or whatever, he tells me. All I have to do is watch my step." He explained, holding onto Veigar's legs as he walked and moving branches out of the way with one hand as needed. "This way, we both do not need to worry about watching for pit falls, he does not slow me down, and one of us is always alert to whatever the hell is out here." He added.

Veigar hit him over the head, not hard enough to really hurt, but hard enough to make a point. "Number two: Shut up so I can hear." The yordle said.

Goau then flashed a smile at Zilean, who appeared confused for a moment, before looking back down. "And you want me to watch as well?" The old man asked.

Goau only nodded, not even looking back to the old man as he walked.

The forest was a mix of different plants and vegetation. Bushes with leaves, thorns, berries, and flowers could be seen at random spots of the forest floor. Trees of evergreen, deciduous, and coniferous species were different distances away from one another in mix-matched orders, ranging from several meters or yards away and right next to one another. Finally, there could be heard and seen small animals, but nothing worth the trouble of trying to catch.

Whenever a sound, an animal call or something unnatural, was heard, Goau would stop and look around, the same as Veigar, before either the sound stopped or the source was seen; the same when Veigar saw something, but Goau always waited until the yordle told him he could continue before he began walking again.

Zilean helped as well, watching and pointing out to things he had seen. A few times, when Goau turned to look and find out what he was talking about, there was nothing there. The old man had said that he had seen something there, and, never taking his eyes off those he sighted, said they had hidden behind a tree.

Considering the old man would likely lose all connection to existence, other than just being dead, Goau did not think he was being lied to.

After about an hour of traveling, Goau stopped in a small clearing. He crouched down, keeping ahold of Veigar by his left hand on the yordle's left leg, and examined the ground with his right.

After a minute of examination, he rose. "There's been a bear around here. We could try to find it, kill it, and then teleport it back to the tower." He recommended, keeping his voice low, before brushing his hand off on the side of his robe.

Veigar thought about this for a few seconds before answering. "A single bear doesn't sound like it would be worth the cost." He concluded; his tone quiet as well.

"Where there's one, there could be more." Goau countered.

Veigar's bright, yellow orbs narrowed. "You really want to kill a family of bears? The mom and dad may be enough, but not the cubs." He said.

Goau smiled. "Do not forget, we have company coming in the near future." He reminded.

Veigar thought about this for a moment, but his expression did not change. "Alright, what's your plan?" He asked.

"I am curious as well, though I do not wish for any animals to be harmed, and who is this company? Also, why would bears still be awake?" Zilean questioned.

Goau extended his hand once more, and then slowly raised it and pointed with it toward another area, deeper into the forest. "By the size of the droppings and prints, I think it was a mother and at least two cubs that went that way recently, maybe in the last few hours." He answered, and then looked over at Zilean. "These bears do not sleep during the fall and winter, and hunt year round. Sadly, they do not stockpile food, but the adults are usually fifteen hundred to twenty hundred pounds of food and other useful resources." He answered quietly.

Zilean's brow twitched. "The company you mentioned?" He asked.

Goau only smiled before turning back to the direction he was pointing. "What do you think Veigar?" He asked.

The yordle looked around their immediate area as he thought about what his friend had suggested. Finally, and reluctantly, he sighed. "Lead the way. Is your smite spell available?" He asked.

Goau nodded. "I wouldn't have recommended going after a family of bears if it was not." He answered, and then held onto Veigar once more. "Let's get'em. I want a new blanket!" He said enthusiastically as he began walking toward the path he believed the bears had gone.

Zilean rubbed his chin as he followed after the two. "Am I to assume that you are not going to answer my question?" He asked.

Veigar went back to watching for dangers. "Still dealing with that cold-natured thing of yours?" He asked at the same time as Zilean, unintentionally of course.

Goau stopped for about five seconds before beginning to walk once more. "Okay, Zilean, I'll start with you: I am the only who can see and hear you because of magic, and, frankly, you have to remember that." He said, and then lightly hit Veigar on his left side. "What did you say?" He asked.

"Never mind, I was just joking anyway." Veigar said.

Goau shrugged. "Anyway, yes Zilean. You will see who this company is when they show up." He finally answered.

The old man slowly nodded his head. "Very well then, I will watch for any dangers." He said.

* * *

After another hour of unskilled tracking and walking, plus the occasional stops and waits for sounds and sights, Goau, Veigar, and Zilean were before a small creek of crystal clear water and brightly colored fish. The reason they had stopped was because of the adult bear and its two playful cubs before them.

The mother bear was a large black bear, its front right claw raised and its head looking directly at the human and yordle. Behind it, about one or two feet from the waters, were the two cubs, their faces buried into a small pile of fish and eating without a care in the world.

Goau did not take his eyes off the mother as he stood with his lower half hidden behind the vegetation. "Can you kill it?" He asked simply and quietly.

"Yeah. Let me down and I'll take care of it." Veigar replied, silently requesting to be let down.

Slowly, Goau reached up, behind his head, and grabbed Veigar under his shoulders, lifted him over his head, and placed him on the ground in front of him, just out of the brush.

Veigar flexed his gloved hands as he stared cautiously at the mother bear. "You may want to look away, Goau. This is going to be… _hehe_… messy." Veigar said, his tone changing to a more maniacal and twisted one.

Goau turned around and snapped the fingers of his right hand, a bright, blue flash appearing over Veigar for a moment before fading away. "Just don't kill the cubs, and remember that we need it in mostly one piece." He said. He then heard angry, warning growling coming from behind. "Zilean, I would not recommend watching this." He added before stepping behind a nearby tree, out of sight of Veigar and the bears.

Zilean followed, but did not turn away from the little yordle. "What do you mean? What's going to happen…" He began, but his words trailed off as he watched Veigar.

The mother bear roared out in fury and began to charge toward the possible dangers… and then there was the sound of a crackle followed by a splatter of water that was not water…

* * *

About an hour later, and in a flash of purple and black light, Goau and Veigar, as well as Zilean and the bears, were back in the tower, only in a lower, basement-looking area.

The room was lit by a number of magically enchanted orbs that glowed with a bright, warm yellow light whenever something living approached them. This light allowed vision of the contents of the basement: drying racks, some bloody, with straps and ropes hanging from them, an enclosed furnace made of cast iron with a door below it and a stack of logs near it, and several hanging furs of animals either on hooks on the walls or hanging on drying racks awaiting further attention or to be taken down.

There were other small supplies, like two by two to four by four cages and buckets, out of sight or behind something, but the limited lighting did not help illuminate all of hidden supplies.

Goau turned his head to look at Zilean, and then let out a sigh. "I'm guessing this Veigar is different from the one you knew?" He asked.

The old man, a look of absolute horror plastered on his face, only gaped as he looked from one mage to another, completely speechless.

Veigar, his coat and robe covered in fresh, mostly dried, blood, chuckled manically, his eyes lazy and a trance-like look on his face.

The human mage adjusted the two bear cups in his arms before motioning the yordle to move with a light tap of his foot. "Go tell Master Xerath and Syndra we're back… and you may want to change into a clean robe before doing so." He recommended.

The yordle nodded wordlessly before blinking, the life and consciousness returning to his eyes. "Oh… yeah. I'll go do that." He said, slowly at first but then quickening his pace as he made his way to the staircase in the corner of the room.

He ran up the steps, but stopped when he reached the door. "Goau… Thanks for the clarity." He said, and then opened the door and left, closing the door behind himself.

Goau smiled to himself before carrying the two cubs to a small cage behind one of the racks, placing them inside, and picking up the small, metal caged structure. "Alright Old Man, the crazy little psycho's gone, there's nothing to be afraid of." He said jokingly.

Zilean turned his head slowly to the young mage he was anchored to, his face still showing his shock at what he had just seen. "That… that thing is a monster…" He stammered.

Goau only shrugged as he started to and up the stairs with cage in hand. "Veigar is a strange yordle, compared to the ones in Piltover and Bandle City, but there's a reason for how he is." He said.

"Summoner! You cannot be serious! What he did… that was just sadistic! Why? Why is he here!? I did not know you very well before, but I knew you would never be friends with such a thing as him!" Zilean exclaimed.

Goau did not stop as he walked up the stairs and opened the door. "He's had a rough life Zilean, and it's been much worse than mine." He began. "From what he's told me, he's always been treated like a burden and bullied by humans, other yordles, and I don't know what else. Somehow, he did manage to find people who saw him as more than a punching bag, some potential within him, and he became a mage…" He said, but stopped to set the cage down inside the dining room.

"But, even with these few people, there were always stronger ones who saw him as less than what he really was. Probably the best thing to happen to him was meeting his previous teacher and her family, especially this Haruhi he's always talking." He smiled then before beginning to cut up the small pieces of leftover breakfast eggs and bacon and putting them into a bowl. "As much as he complains about his time there, he's always in a good mood when he does." He added as he put the bowl into the cage and began to fill another one with water before putting it into the cage as well.

Zilean's earlier opinion did not appear to have changed. "And how do you explain his nature? The things he did to that poor animal?" He demanded.

"Xerath and Syndra have never seen him like that, and I'm used to him being like that whenever the two of us go hunting. I asked him about it once, and, after some convincing, he told me he liked to image that he was facing his former bullies… and making them pay." Goau said, the emotion trailing out of his tone.

Needless to say, the cubs did not want to eat or drink, in fact they tried to get away from the human's hand as it neared them.

With the two bowls placed, Goau looked around the room for a bit until he found a small but very sharp knife. "Anything else? I'm about to cut off some lunch." He said with a smile.

Zilean nodded his head slowly. "What of Syndra?" He demanded.

Goau started back into the basement as he spoke. "Syndra is from Ionia, or at least an Ionian culture. All I know about her is that she doesn't like many people and that she was banished from her people for some reason." He explained. "And before you ask about me, I've never been a summoner. I was trained to use the spells, a little, but I lost interest near the end of the Institution's construction. Now, I'm a mage training under a crazy, power-hungry, dying wizard from the past with an anti-social woman who cares only about the magically strong and gifted and a mentally twisted yordle with spells that can apparently effect the world around him." He said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"And Xerath? Do you not think he will be angry with you for earlier?" Zilean asked. By the way he spoke, it sounded like he was worried for Goau's safety.

Once he was back inside the basement, Goau began the bloody task of gutting the bear, starting with the hole in its side. It was the easiest to get to, and he had to save the organs for a special occasion coming up.

With the aid of the knife, he cut into its hide, careful to damage it as little as possible. As difficult as the work was the resources it would provide was worth the effort. He only wished the blood was optional and not nearly as messy as it was.

"What are you going to do with those cubs?" He heard Zilean ask as he looked over the former summoner's shoulder.

Goau tilted his head, gesturing to the other furs and skins. "My hope is that our coming guest will take them, but, if not, we can always…" He said before grunting as he pulled free a chunk of meat from underneath the bear's hide. He examined the bloody meat for a moment, testing the weight as he did, before tossing it onto the nearest table and beginning to cut into it once more. "I really hope nothing else will die today." He added in a low whisper.

Zilean looked in the direction he had indicated, but remained silent otherwise.

"You know, Zilean, your story is a pretty farfetched one now that I have time to think about it. I mean, Veigar could be right, I could be going crazy." Goau said as he worked. "The whole Shurima and ascension ritual could have been lucky guesses, the whole Lissandra thing could be a simple coincidence, and, frankly, what proof do you have that this isn't how life should be?" He asked.

Xerath did confirm that he had come from the distant past and someone did attack him during his unknown ascension ritual, of which he did believe knowing the reckless mage. Veigar did confirm that Lissandra, someone else he did not know, was in a marriage relationship with the Void God, who Zilean said was actually named Malzahar and had been Xerath's attacker; so there was that alliance.

Aside from those two, there was nothing else to support Zilean's claim, and that was assuming Malzahar helped Lissandra into her current position of power.

Zilean let out a breath. "I have no proof beyond my words, and that I can confirm Xerath is the only victim of time travel who can make such an accusation." He explained.

Goau did not look up as he cut off a second and final slab of bear meat. "Well Zilean, we all make mistakes. So far, I've made two." He said as he rose and placed the slab of meat next to the other one on the table.

Zilean only remained silent, but was not even able to meet the summoner's eyes.

"The first was when I was helping build the Institution of War. It was nearly finished, but I had chosen to work in the library and archives. Instead of learning the spells and preparing for combat, I chose to work in the library and archives. Instead of mastering my spells and being able to use them at least once a day or every few hours, I got a journal." Goau said.

He stacked the two pieces of fifteen by ten by three inch raw slabs of meat on top of one another, and then stabbed the knife he had used to cut them out into the meat, hard. "The second was attacking my master of magic because a damn ghost, who claims he needs my help, thought it would be a good idea to proof something before anything else!" He said with restrained anger.

"I… I had to know myself if my theory was true." Zilean said, soberly, in response.

Goau removed the knife and placed it on the table, and then picked up the two pieces of meat with his bare hands and began carefully carrying them up the stairs. "For a time mage, you suck at your job." He muttered.

"It's much more difficult than you can ever image!" Zilean said in defense, nearly shouting.

"You're a ghost haunting me and talking about an alternate reality to someone who has only lived in this one. I don't even know where your line ends and mine begins." Goau said calmly. "From what little you've actually said about your timeline, you've never had to deal with creatures from the Void, or at least not on the same scale." He added.

Zilean opened his mouth to speak… but then closed it. How could he not have thought of that? He shook his head, continuing to follow Goau, but this time thinking about things from this new perspective.

He was from a time where Xerath, a Magus Ascendant, was bound and imprisoned for countless years, but this new time had a different Magus Ascendant, one with knowledge of the future and what would happen.

The world Zilean had lived and grew up was gone. This was a world where a madman held ultimate power, and he had known who were his biggest threats and greatest allies. Malzahar had changed everything when he took Xerath's place, and only Zilean had any idea of how the world really should have been.

It was not until Goau stopped in a new room that Zilean regained the strength to speak. "Is there anything I can say that would make you believe me?" He asked.

Goau sat the meat down on a large, clean, metal tray with bars instead of a simple plate. "Tell me, honestly, that my family, both a part of the Institution and not, are still alive in this time of yours." He said as he began preparing the meat to cook, cutting it up into smaller pieces and positioning it so that all of it would cook evenly.

Zilean nodded and smiled a small smile. "Your family… I had come to think of accepted me as part of their family. Your mother was a kind hearted woman, your older brother was always talking optimistically about everything he was working on and plans he had with his friends, your younger brother and sister had taken to calling me grandpa and visiting as though they were my grandchildren, and your father was a good man with a caring heart." He explained happily, staring distantly into the memories as he spoke.

When he finished, Goau nodded his head slowly. "Yeah… that sounds like them." He said. He then raised his hand to his eyes and rubbed away the forming tears.

And then the door to the kitchen opened.

Goau and Zilean both turned to see who it was, and Goau blinked when he saw who it was.

"Master Xerath wants to see you." Syndra said plainly, and then looked past him. "I will take care of cooking that." She added, walking on ahead and pushing him aside and away from the cooking area.

He let her do this, stepping aside as she pushed him, but did not go to the door. "And what does he want with me?" He asked.

She only glared at him for a few seconds, and then turned away in a huff. "You nearly killed him earlier. You should be grateful he hasn't killed you yet." She hissed.

Goau let out a sigh and shook his head. "For such a control freak, I would have thought you'd understand, at least a little, why I'd be angry at him." He countered.

Syndra did not turn to him as she spoke. "Just go see what he wants." She replied, through gritted teeth by the sound of it.

He rolled his eyes, but reluctantly started out of the kitchen and toward Xerath's room. Seeing his master was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had to do so. Why? He was not at all sure of at this moment. Not at all.

As he walked through the hall and up the stairs, Zilean, following behind him, wore a curious expression on his bearded face. "Do you and the other three have any contact with the city-states, or any city or town?" He asked.

Goau took a deep breath as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. "We do have contact with Piltover, Demacia, merchants from Zaun and Noxus, and a couple of refugees from Bandle City." He answered. "Personally, I could do without some of them coming to visit and visiting them." He added.

Zilean's eyes widened. "Refugees from Bandle City? What's happened?" He asked quickly.

"I asked one of them, and she said creatures had invaded from Icathia and Shurima, so they had to move." Goau answered.

The chronomancer's expression did not change. If anything, it showed even more curiosity. "Move? An entire city? How?" He asked.

Goau turned his head partway to Zilean. "They moved their whole corner of Valoran. How did they manage do this, you may ask? Well, one of them had the bright idea of blowing up the mountains around them, but what happened instead was that the explosion broke off a piece of the land. Funny thing is that the currents brought them around and to the Fyrone Flats south of here." He paused to shake his head and smile. "Now we keep getting groups of yordles from military branches visiting and asking what happened. So we point them home and wish them luck." He then turned back to the hall as he approached the stairs to the third floor.

Zilean blinked his eyes several times. "Th- that's insane!" He blurted out. "What could have possessed them to risk their lives like that!?" He asked.

"Hmm. Well, my guess would be the armies of monsters from an unknown world that seemed to only want to eat anything and everything that moves, breathes, and cannot get away. If we live long enough, my girlfriend is coming down in a week or two for some fun." He answered, smiling at the end. "The two of us could show you what I mean." He added.

The chronomancer produced a series of sounds that sounded like he was trying to start a sentence, but was unable to form a complete sentence.

Goau shrugged as he continued to walk. "I take it the biggest threats you ever faced were crime bosses or assassin guilds." He inquired half-heartedly.

Finally, the old mage was able to speak a complete sentence, and asked two questions. "Are the yordles alright? And what of the ones in Piltover?"

"Bandle City is like a neighbor to us, one that we normally go to see around spring and summer when the forces from the Shurima Desert begin hunting for food. As to Piltover, I usually go there to live with my girlfriend until fall." He answered.

Before Zilean could ask another question or respond, Goau raised his hand. "I need to see what Xerath wants. When we're done, I can show you something that will probably answer all of your questions." He said, and then turned to the door and placed his raised hand on the knob.

Zilean had not even noticed that they were at the door to Xerath's room, or even thought this was the same room, but he had just one more thing to ask. "What is this answer?" He asked.

Goau turned the knob. "I told you I got a journal from the Institution, didn't I?" He asked. Zilean nodded in response. "That's because I became a scribe, not a summoner, and that's why my spells take so long to become available after use. That same journal… I've enchanted, and I'll let you see how." He added.

And then pushed the door open.

* * *

As soon as he opened the door, Goau was met with the barrel of a gun pointed right at his face. The barrel ended with small electrodes held in a see-through foot-long tube with metal braces, and a handle in the shape of a handgun but with a small electric generator. Its end sparked, the barrel tube hummed and glowed with a blue-white raw electrical power, and small sparks extended from the butt of the gun to the barrel.

At first, Goau was shocked, but then he realized that this could not be real. And, sure enough, the electric gun faded away, along with the one who held it.

When it faded completely, he looked to see Xerath close a book and look up at him, before placing the book onto a shelf and turning to face his student. "For starters, I would like to say that I am always surprised to see what I am reading in perfect clarity and come to life right in front of me." He commented.

Goau only shrugged. "I wouldn't say they are in perfect clarity, but my entries leave more answers than questions." He replied. "So, what did you want from me?" He asked.

Xerath let out a sigh, and then began stumbling away from the shelf and toward a table. This was not his bedroom, but his study, where he kept his books and whatever he deemed too dangerous for the other three or needed to be kept safe. "I want you to keep your journal with you from today onward." He said.

Goau tilted his head to the side. "You realize it's my clarity spell that makes it special?" He asked.

The older mage nodded. "I also know that you will no longer have to keep it in here." He answered.

"Oh. Really?" Goau asked. Xerath nodded yes. "Then you've found out that there's no chance of cataclysmic energies being unleashed that could either kill us all or lead to our deaths?" He asked. Again, Xerath nodded yes. Finally, Goau narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Did I not, when you first saw me writing in it, tell you it was harmless?" He asked.

Now it was Xerath's turn to glare. "When people start walking through walls, what would you expect or think!?" He asked.

Goau pointed behind himself, toward Zilean who only he could see. "I think the same thing I thought about this 'Malzahar is the Void God and he's the one who responsible for everything that's happened' ghost following me now: Someone's reading my journal, the question is which entry?" He explained.

After saying that, he then turned to Zilean, his eyes going wide. A second later, he smacked himself in the forehead with his right hand. "ARGH! I am such an idiot!" He exclaimed before starting to the bookcase at the other end of the room, away from the shelf Xerath had placed his book.

After several seconds of searching, he retrieved a ten inch by eight inch by two inch book. It had a rough leather cover, a gold trimmed spine and borders, and a lock on it. With a wave of his hand, the lock popped open, and he pulled a stylus from between the lock and the book.

Wordlessly, he began flipping through the pages, and then stopped and turned to Zilean. Stylus in his right hand as he held the book with his left, he brought the writing utensil to the pages of book and began writing, glancing up to Zilean now and again.

"Summoner, if I may…" Zilean said, his tone reflecting his curiosity and confusion.

"I told you, I'm not a summoner. I am a scribe." Goau reminded. "What is it?" He asked, continuing to write as he spoke.

Xerath, in the meantime, only sat in a chair, watching and listening.

"On that book's cover… that's the seal of the Journal of Justice, before it was shut down." He noted.

Goau nodded once. "It was my farewell gift, before I left the Institution. I enchanted it with my clarity and clairvoyance spells a while back to show entries as they happened even if I did not see them. It's not perfect, there are problems with it, but it works mostly as intended." He said, never once looking up to the old mage for longer than a glance. "You said Malzahar made you cast this time travel spell and that Lissandra killed you?" He asked.

Zilean began to nod, but then shook his head. "Lissandra did not kill me herself, but she ordered her Frostguard to do it. It was two of those warriors who killed me." He admitted shamefully.

"Yeah… yeah… Anything else?" Goau asked, oblivious to the sorrowful tone of Zilean's voice.

The dead chronomancer nodded as he closed his eyes. "Malzahar, I believe, had infected my mind with his malefic visions, a power granted to him by his abilities as a prophet. In this state, I had thought I foresaw a future when the Void would kill everyone in the League of Legends, but I could not see or find the events and places this would begin or happen." He explained.

Goau nodded absented mindedly. "Keep going. What did you see? Why did you make this spell? Why target Xerath?" He asked as he wrote.

Curious, Zilean looked up toward the summoner turned scribe and opened his mouth to speak… but then went silent… and his eyes went wide.

Around him, the world appeared to have changed. He was back in his tower, before he had left it, scrambling to find out when the events in time had taken place to create such a horrific future. He even saw an image of himself, toiling away, but, unlike that time, Goau and Xerath where there, one writing in his journal and the other watching in amazed silence and smiling.

"Wh- what is this?" Zilean asked, bewildered by the sights.

"Zilean!" Goau's voice rang out, drawing his attention away from his former home to the former summoner. The scribe was looking right at him. "I need to know what happened and I need to know every little detail that you can think of. Every. Little. Detail." He said, stressing the importance of the words.

Still stunned, Zilean noticed that the world seemed to stop… and then he straightened and turned to face Goau. "I could not see the events that led up to the future I saw, only a bit of it, but I was able to find where it all began: Xerath's ascension ritual tore a small hole between dimensions, alerting those within the Void to our dimension's location. From here, they would pick and scratch until they could tear and rip a rift large enough for all of them to spill forth." He began to say, detailing everything he could remember about his affliction.

Goau did not respond, not even with a nod, but looked back to his writing and continued, turning pages as needed to give himself more space to write.

* * *

As Zilean spoke, Goau wrote.

As the story went on, it was recorded.

As the two worked, Xerath only smiled to himself, and his great fortune of having found such a student as Goau.

Even if the boy was not as powerful as him, held as much potential as Syndra, or was as capable as Veigar, a scribe of Goau's talents had more than earned his keep. The fact that he was able to use spells like he had earlier in the day, surge, barrier, and flash being examples, his ability to gather information in such a way, and then have it presented and expressed in such clarity, made him invaluable as a companion, let alone a student.

And now he was proving to be able to find out who it had been all those years ago that had ambushed him at the peak of his glory, the one who had stolen from him his ultimate prize, just by talking to the ghost of a dead man.

Xerath smiled not only because of his student, but because this same student would reveal to him so much of his arch rival's past. A past he had thought was buried in the sands of the Shurima Desert.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

_Curious as to whether or not I should make a side story detailing gruesome or otherwise M-rated portions of the story; such as Veigar brutally beating the f #k out of a bear due to anger issues. Give feedback letting me know, otherwise they will be lost to the void... or devoured by it, whichever comes first.  
_

_That aside, next chapter is the hard part for me: the journal entries. -sigh- I did promise background for the champions, and this is how I had planned to implement it._


End file.
